New labs promise to give Quincy College students an edge
By Dylan McGuinness
Source: The Patriot Ledger

Students in the biotechnology and compliance department at Quincy College will soon be using new cutting edge laboratories – one physical and one virtual.

QUINCY – Students in the biotechnology and compliance department at Quincy College will soon be using new laboratories – one physical and one virtual.The physical lab, called the quality control lab, contains sophisticated technology that students will encounter when they break into the industry. In the virtual lab, which focuses more on the biotechnology component, students will be able to train on computers before handling actual equipment.The Boston Private Industry Council is holding its quarterly consortium at Quincy College. The opening of the new labs was one of the council’s reasons for choosing the college as the consortium venue.

“We are familiar with their biomanufacturing lab and are excited about the new ones,” said Carlos Arzeno, the council’s skills project manager. “The feedback we’re getting from students has been exceptional.”

The Boston Private Industry Council seeks to connect students and adults with educational and employment opportunities. It sponsors five to 10 students at the college every year. As part of the council’s Skilled Careers in Life Sciences initiative, members talk to local employers to gain a better understanding of labor needs, Arzeno said. It then tries to provide a “pipeline for a prepared workforce,” he said. The initiative is coordinated with the city of Boston’s Office of Workforce Development. The quarterly consortium will serve two functions. Leading executives in the biotech industry will take part in a panel discussion about workforce preparedness and breaking into the industry, and there will also be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the college’s two new labs.

“Hosting it at the college will give us a lot of positive exposure,” said Bruce Van Dyke, chairman of the college’s biotechnology and compliance department. He said the college’s program is particularly strong in the area of cutting-edge biomanufacturing. “We’re one of the very few in the country” employing the single-use method found in the industry, Van Dyke said. The technology being as new as it is, Quincy College is “about two years ahead of” most other colleges, he said.

In a statement, Trinh Nguyen, executive director of Boston’s Office of Workforce Development, said Quincy “has some of the best minds in the life sciences industry working collaboratively with biotech companies to ensure that training is comprehensive and tailored to employer needs. Their state-of-the-art lab provides the ideal environment for students to get the hands-on training they need to be ahead of the competition.”